Researchers at Osaka University reveal how a regulatory molecule ensures an appropriate supply of blood cells while avoiding the excessive proliferation associated with conditions like leukemia OSAKA UNIVERSITY Osaka, Japan – The body needs to create a continuous supply of blood cells to enter circulation. Blood cells have a wide variety of functions ranging from supplying oxygen to tissues, fighting infections, and enabling the blood to...
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Mutations in noncoding genes could play big role in regulating cancer, study finds
by Liz Ahlberg Touchstone, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign RNA transcribed from genes that seem not to code for anything may play an important role in regulating cancer, a new study suggests. A number of these noncoding RNA fragments lie next to known cancer genes, the study found. Understanding how they interact with those cancer genes could open new avenues to understanding cancer’s behavior and treating it. Led by Kannanganattu Prasanth, a University of Illinois cell and...
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Study reveals differences in brain activity in children with anhedonia
Researchers have identified changes in brain connectivity and brain activity during rest and reward anticipation in children with anhedonia, a condition where people lose interest and pleasure in activities they used to enjoy. The study, by scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, sheds light on...
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How the heart sends an SOS signal to bone marrow cells after a heart attack
Human cells shed exosomes. These tiny extracellular, membrane-bound vesicles can carry cargo for cell-to-cell communication, ferrying diverse loads of proteins, lipids or nucleic acids. University of Alabama at Birmingham and Chinese researchers now report that exosomes are key to the SOS signal that the heart muscle sends out after a heart attack. After the heart attack, the exosomes in the bloodstream carry greatly increased amounts of heart-specific microRNAs—an observation seen in both mice...
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Seawater bacteria provides leads to fight melanoma
Malignant melanoma can be a particularly dangerous form of cancer, and more therapeutic options are needed. Now, researchers report in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters that a bacteria from seawater has inspired promising leads for an entirely new way to treat the disease. In melanoma, cancer cells form in melanocytes, the cells that color the skin....
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Parkinson’s: Study reveals how cancer drug reduces toxic protein in brain
By Catharine Paddock PhD Fact checked by Paula Field Laboratory and animal studies have suggested that the leukemia drug nilotinib could alleviate symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Now, using early results from a clinical trial in humans, scientists have worked out how the drug reduces toxic protein and raises dopamine levels in the brain. Loss of dopamine,...
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Found: The missing ingredient to grow blood vessels
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered an ingredient vital for proper blood vessel formation that explains why numerous promising treatments have failed. The discovery offers important direction for efforts to better treat a host of serious conditions ranging from diabetes to heart attacks and strokes. Until now, scientists seeking to...
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Study highlights danger of vitamin B12 deficiency
Rice University researchers found vitamin B12 promotes survival during infection by improving mitochondrial health. The expression of a fluorescent protein (top left) reflects buildup of a toxic metabolic product, propionate, in mitochondria on diets low in B12, as compared (bottom left) to those receiving sufficient B12. Mitochondrially targeted fluorescent protein (center) reveals fragmentation of mitochondria when B12 is low, and dead worms...
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Antibody-drug conjugate shows efficacy against cell surface protein in Neuroblastoma
Physician-scientists in the Cancer Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a preclinical, potent therapy attached to an antibody that targets a surface protein expressed in most childhood neuroblastomas, effectively killing cancer cells. The researchers published their findings today in Science Translational Medicine. “If there is an ultimate ‘bad guy’ of neuroblastomacell surface...
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Preclinical data shows combination immunotherapy could stop liver cancer growth
Even as overall cancer incidence and mortality decrease in the United States, the number of people diagnosed with liver cancer is on the rise. Current therapies for liver cancer are largely ineffective, resulting in poor outcomes, but new preclinical data from University of California San Diego School of Medicine offers proof-of-principle for a combination immunotherapy...